This was a fun retelling of The Little Mermaid, which is a favorite story for me. Mari, with her kind heart, breaks the rule about not going to the surface before her 18th birthday. She saved a man’s life which ended up with her losing her own soul in the process. She goes to the sea witch to get more information so that she can go onto the land and search.
Aaron, a ghost Mari meets, helps her navigate on land. But he disappears. When she meets up with the man she had rescued, he wants to help her on her journey to retrieve her soul. Will she be successful in her quest? Can she trust Erickson despite her discomfort? Will she find out why the souls of her people are being stolen?
This was a wonderful story, well-paced and with intriguing characters. But who can the innocent Mari trust? She may lose more than her soul if she makes the wrong choices!
Author
anitamfuhrmann
2 years ago
The Little Mermaid with HEAT!! This is a great retelling of the wonderful Disney classic fairytale but for adults.
Mari goes looking for what she has lost…her soul. To find it she will have to get out of the safety of the water and move onto land and away from that comfort zone. Will she find her lost soul? Will she be able to save the rest of the merpeople who have also lost their souls? Does she find that rarest of all treasures – true love and her own HEA? Another delightful book from Laura Greenwood delivered in only the way she can do!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
barj70
2 years ago
Book one in the Untold Tales series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Mari a mermaid loses her soul and with her pet seal-turned-dog, Shelbie they go on to dry land to find it. They will meet Aaron a corporal figure, and human Erickson, but one of the men is very evil. Who should she trust. I want to read the next book in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
sherrijonesteach
2 years ago
A young soulless mermaid on a mission. In saving a shipwrecked young man, Mari has her soul stolen. She goes to the Sea Witch to find out how she can get it back. The Sea Witch has lost her soul also and Mari promises to set all of the stolen souls free. She goes on land and meets Erickson the young man she saved. He says he will help her but, she meets Aaron another person whose soul has been stolen and he seems like a ghost. He doesn’t trust Erickson. When she finds out that the humans are using mer souls to power the city she is determined to release all of the souls. But who can she trust? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
Author
daisysauceda
2 years ago
This a a great short read. I love mermaids so I was intrigued about this one. Mari has now become a soulless mermaid. How does that happen? Good question, you will have to read that part. So she ends up going on land to retrieve her soul by while she is there she gets images of the same thing happening to someone else years before. She meets Erikson on land and she can tell something is different about him. She also meets Aaron who is a spirit. She is on a mission to find the lost mermaid souls besides hers. She learns many valuable lessons while on land. Will she find the souls? What will happen to Aaron and Erik? The flow of the story just sucks you in and you do get a happy ending. Definitely worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
jansport801
2 years ago
A different take on the little mermaid story. Instead of losing her voice Mari has lost her soul. In an effort to get it back, she makes an arrangement with the sea witch. While on land she encounters Erickson, a human willing to help her. All is not what it seems.
I love this version! Nothing romantic just a good old fashion mystery with a happy ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
dma
2 years ago
This is a cute variation on the story of the little mermaid. More myth and magic than normal!
Nicely written story
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
chibiayase1
2 years ago
It’s not your typical Little Mermaid story but it shows that even if you lose something, you will gain something else in the end. I like the side of the sea witch also which tells her own story in this, but not to mention, what lurks beyond the hidden meanings on who to trust. It’s actually a good book if you like fairy tales, but be warned that this isn’t your normal Little mermaid love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
aimeebower
2 years ago
Mari thought she was doing the right thing when she saved a man’s life. What she didn’t know is it would end with her soul being taken. Her father tells her what has happened to her, makes mention of a sea witch. Mari investigates more about this sea witch. Mari goes to where this sea witch is living. The sea witch gives her information and gives her everything she needs to go to land.
Mari takes the potion to go to land and she meets a ghost named Aaron. He helps her learn how to walk and small things. He disappears on her. She is slowly walking around when she the man she save appears. He seems to want to help her with her quest to get her soul back.
She feels more comfortable with Aaron, with Erikson she feels things are off. She is having doubts and blames everything that is going on. Erikson and Aaron are telling her different things.
Mari has to decide who she trusts and how she is going to get the souls back before anyone catches her. The person behind it is it all, is the person she didn’t expect.
This was a really easy read, the book moves at a nice pace and is over before you
know it.
I received an ARC copy from Booksprout and this is my honest review
Author
jennine217
2 years ago
Aaron the ghost, Mari a newly turn18yr old mermaid and her faithful companion seal shelbie end up in some very dicey and action packed situations.
Entertaining and interesting tale about the missing souls and the fight and perils to find and get them back. I am finding this a very entertaining tale. Recommended reading
Author
shedevilreads
2 years ago
Balanced Scales by Laura Greenwood is a fairy tale retelling of The Little Mermaid that I listened to on audio narrated by Courtney Encheff.
I just love Laura’s books! They always leave me begging for more. The story did end leaving me with some questions. So I would love to see more on this series but I know it was published as standalone. But a girl can always hope.
Courtney did a great job on the narration. Her voice was perfect for Mari! I cannot wait to listen to other projects that she has worked on.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, Fairy Tales, or a Sweet Romance.
Author
briannamgbelbin
2 years ago
This was an amazing retelling of The Little Mermaid! After Mari saves a man from a shipwreck on her eighteenth birthday, she loses her soul. Determined to get it back and every other soul that mermaids have had stolen from them, she finds the Sea Witch to gain further information and instructions. Mari, Shelbie, and Aaron (the man she rescued) go on a journey to find the lost souls. The land is unknown territory for Mari and she isn’t quite sure who to trust. I really loved Shelbie’s, Mari’s sidekick, personality and thought it was cool to have her shift into two creatures- a seal in the water and a dog on land. I also liked the notions of the original story within this one and the history that Mari’s dad and the Sea Witch had. This retelling was filled with twists and managed to have a unique spin on the classic tale.
Courtney did a great job with this narration! I loved the young personality and emotions that she portrayed for Mari- she was the perfect fit! Her performance was very easy to listen to and she spoke at a steady pace.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Author
katheyer
2 years ago
“Balanced Scales” is the first installment in Laura Greenwood’s “Untold Tales” series. The book is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen unforgettable “The Little Mermaid”, that manages to stay true to the classical tale, while still offering a fresh new story, in which Mari (the little Mermaid) manages to take her own fate in her hands while pursuing her right to immortality.
“Balanced Scales” tells Mari’s story, an eighteen-year-old mermaid, who encounters a shipwreck and saves a sailor’s live, only to condemn her own immortal soul in the process. But Mari is a strong female, who does not passively accept her fate. There is a chance to regain her soul, and despite the danger, Mari is willing to try. She succeeds in finding the Sea Witch, who is not in the least evil, but an ally to her cause, that will give her a potion to enable her to walk and survive on land and search for her soul. Mari is a very capable girl, despite her initial naiveté, which is absolute credible. Together with her shape-shifter pet seal, she embarks in a quest for deliverance, finding allies and enemies along the way, to restore the balance and regain her immortal soul.
The Untold Tales series is a retelling of world-renowned classical fairy tales, that adds a modern twist to the classical tales. Greenwood’s version of the fairy-tale world is funny, entertaining and interesting. A brand-new take on the fairy-tale trope, fresh, original and fun. The stories, which are independent from each other, offer an amazing blend of the original tales and brand-new twist and situations, that will appeal to both fairy-tale lovers and all those looking for a brand-new story that adds layers of narrations and different POVs to the already known situations. Fairy tales, magic, romance, familiars, FMC, adventure, fast-paced plots, credible leads, new turns and twists, what more can one wish for?
Author
rukibanshee
2 years ago
Balanced Scales: Untold Tales: The Little Mermaid by Laura Greenwood is a wonderful story that I have read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series and I can not wait to read book number two. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about mermaids, fantasy and paranormal romances.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
dougkoshwilliamson
2 years ago
Our heroine is on a quest to find her lost soul, but to do so, she must venture forth into unknown territory: land.
This is a retelling of the Little Mermaid story, but while it takes its inspiration from there, it provides an entirely fresh perspective and story. The story is well written and easy to read with an interesting cast of characters (including a shapeshifting seal!) that are fun to interact with. The plot includes several twists and turns and moves along at a good pace. Overall, the story is fun and engaging, making for a nice weekend read.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
Author
leedama
2 years ago
Mari, a mermaid, loses her soul. She leaves the sea in a quest to regain that soul.
Author
racheljoimaples
2 years ago
great new series
Author
jlh2496
2 years ago
Wow, was this ever different. Loved the total opposite aspects to the story and the heroine. Mari is a common mermaid who loses her soul when she decides saving a human is more important than being seen. Many other mer folk have lost their souls and she decides to go onto land to find them. Shelbie, who is a dog on land and a seal in the water, sticks close by to help her. A human man also decides to assist her in her quest. The characters were wonderful and the changes to the story were well done and entertaining. Really enjoyed the story. Great ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
mamafoofoo7
2 years ago
Mari was a mermaid that lost her soul and then went to find it on land with her best friend Shelbie. Erickson was the reason she lost it and thought she could trust him. Aaron warned her not to trust Erickson. Then through an adventure filled with danger, discoveries, lies and revelations, Mari, Shelbie and an unquestionable friend made her future, along with other mer become soul filled. Fun read
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author
bookwormgrace
2 years ago
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fairytale retelling. I enjoyed the characters and the romance, as well as the twists and uniqueness of the plot.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a fun retelling of The Little Mermaid, which is a favorite story for me. Mari, with her kind heart, breaks the rule about not going to the surface before her 18th birthday. She saved a man’s life which ended up with her losing her own soul in the process. She goes to the sea witch to get more information so that she can go onto the land and search.
Aaron, a ghost Mari meets, helps her navigate on land. But he disappears. When she meets up with the man she had rescued, he wants to help her on her journey to retrieve her soul. Will she be successful in her quest? Can she trust Erickson despite her discomfort? Will she find out why the souls of her people are being stolen?
This was a wonderful story, well-paced and with intriguing characters. But who can the innocent Mari trust? She may lose more than her soul if she makes the wrong choices!
The Little Mermaid with HEAT!! This is a great retelling of the wonderful Disney classic fairytale but for adults.
Mari goes looking for what she has lost…her soul. To find it she will have to get out of the safety of the water and move onto land and away from that comfort zone. Will she find her lost soul? Will she be able to save the rest of the merpeople who have also lost their souls? Does she find that rarest of all treasures – true love and her own HEA? Another delightful book from Laura Greenwood delivered in only the way she can do!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Book one in the Untold Tales series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Mari a mermaid loses her soul and with her pet seal-turned-dog, Shelbie they go on to dry land to find it. They will meet Aaron a corporal figure, and human Erickson, but one of the men is very evil. Who should she trust. I want to read the next book in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A young soulless mermaid on a mission. In saving a shipwrecked young man, Mari has her soul stolen. She goes to the Sea Witch to find out how she can get it back. The Sea Witch has lost her soul also and Mari promises to set all of the stolen souls free. She goes on land and meets Erickson the young man she saved. He says he will help her but, she meets Aaron another person whose soul has been stolen and he seems like a ghost. He doesn’t trust Erickson. When she finds out that the humans are using mer souls to power the city she is determined to release all of the souls. But who can she trust? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
This a a great short read. I love mermaids so I was intrigued about this one. Mari has now become a soulless mermaid. How does that happen? Good question, you will have to read that part. So she ends up going on land to retrieve her soul by while she is there she gets images of the same thing happening to someone else years before. She meets Erikson on land and she can tell something is different about him. She also meets Aaron who is a spirit. She is on a mission to find the lost mermaid souls besides hers. She learns many valuable lessons while on land. Will she find the souls? What will happen to Aaron and Erik? The flow of the story just sucks you in and you do get a happy ending. Definitely worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A different take on the little mermaid story. Instead of losing her voice Mari has lost her soul. In an effort to get it back, she makes an arrangement with the sea witch. While on land she encounters Erickson, a human willing to help her. All is not what it seems.
I love this version! Nothing romantic just a good old fashion mystery with a happy ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a cute variation on the story of the little mermaid. More myth and magic than normal!
Nicely written story
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It’s not your typical Little Mermaid story but it shows that even if you lose something, you will gain something else in the end. I like the side of the sea witch also which tells her own story in this, but not to mention, what lurks beyond the hidden meanings on who to trust. It’s actually a good book if you like fairy tales, but be warned that this isn’t your normal Little mermaid love story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Mari thought she was doing the right thing when she saved a man’s life. What she didn’t know is it would end with her soul being taken. Her father tells her what has happened to her, makes mention of a sea witch. Mari investigates more about this sea witch. Mari goes to where this sea witch is living. The sea witch gives her information and gives her everything she needs to go to land.
Mari takes the potion to go to land and she meets a ghost named Aaron. He helps her learn how to walk and small things. He disappears on her. She is slowly walking around when she the man she save appears. He seems to want to help her with her quest to get her soul back.
She feels more comfortable with Aaron, with Erikson she feels things are off. She is having doubts and blames everything that is going on. Erikson and Aaron are telling her different things.
Mari has to decide who she trusts and how she is going to get the souls back before anyone catches her. The person behind it is it all, is the person she didn’t expect.
This was a really easy read, the book moves at a nice pace and is over before you
know it.
I received an ARC copy from Booksprout and this is my honest review
Aaron the ghost, Mari a newly turn18yr old mermaid and her faithful companion seal shelbie end up in some very dicey and action packed situations.
Entertaining and interesting tale about the missing souls and the fight and perils to find and get them back. I am finding this a very entertaining tale. Recommended reading
Balanced Scales by Laura Greenwood is a fairy tale retelling of The Little Mermaid that I listened to on audio narrated by Courtney Encheff.
I just love Laura’s books! They always leave me begging for more. The story did end leaving me with some questions. So I would love to see more on this series but I know it was published as standalone. But a girl can always hope.
Courtney did a great job on the narration. Her voice was perfect for Mari! I cannot wait to listen to other projects that she has worked on.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, Fairy Tales, or a Sweet Romance.
This was an amazing retelling of The Little Mermaid! After Mari saves a man from a shipwreck on her eighteenth birthday, she loses her soul. Determined to get it back and every other soul that mermaids have had stolen from them, she finds the Sea Witch to gain further information and instructions. Mari, Shelbie, and Aaron (the man she rescued) go on a journey to find the lost souls. The land is unknown territory for Mari and she isn’t quite sure who to trust. I really loved Shelbie’s, Mari’s sidekick, personality and thought it was cool to have her shift into two creatures- a seal in the water and a dog on land. I also liked the notions of the original story within this one and the history that Mari’s dad and the Sea Witch had. This retelling was filled with twists and managed to have a unique spin on the classic tale.
Courtney did a great job with this narration! I loved the young personality and emotions that she portrayed for Mari- she was the perfect fit! Her performance was very easy to listen to and she spoke at a steady pace.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
“Balanced Scales” is the first installment in Laura Greenwood’s “Untold Tales” series. The book is a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen unforgettable “The Little Mermaid”, that manages to stay true to the classical tale, while still offering a fresh new story, in which Mari (the little Mermaid) manages to take her own fate in her hands while pursuing her right to immortality.
“Balanced Scales” tells Mari’s story, an eighteen-year-old mermaid, who encounters a shipwreck and saves a sailor’s live, only to condemn her own immortal soul in the process. But Mari is a strong female, who does not passively accept her fate. There is a chance to regain her soul, and despite the danger, Mari is willing to try. She succeeds in finding the Sea Witch, who is not in the least evil, but an ally to her cause, that will give her a potion to enable her to walk and survive on land and search for her soul. Mari is a very capable girl, despite her initial naiveté, which is absolute credible. Together with her shape-shifter pet seal, she embarks in a quest for deliverance, finding allies and enemies along the way, to restore the balance and regain her immortal soul.
The Untold Tales series is a retelling of world-renowned classical fairy tales, that adds a modern twist to the classical tales. Greenwood’s version of the fairy-tale world is funny, entertaining and interesting. A brand-new take on the fairy-tale trope, fresh, original and fun. The stories, which are independent from each other, offer an amazing blend of the original tales and brand-new twist and situations, that will appeal to both fairy-tale lovers and all those looking for a brand-new story that adds layers of narrations and different POVs to the already known situations. Fairy tales, magic, romance, familiars, FMC, adventure, fast-paced plots, credible leads, new turns and twists, what more can one wish for?
Balanced Scales: Untold Tales: The Little Mermaid by Laura Greenwood is a wonderful story that I have read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series and I can not wait to read book number two. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about mermaids, fantasy and paranormal romances.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Our heroine is on a quest to find her lost soul, but to do so, she must venture forth into unknown territory: land.
This is a retelling of the Little Mermaid story, but while it takes its inspiration from there, it provides an entirely fresh perspective and story. The story is well written and easy to read with an interesting cast of characters (including a shapeshifting seal!) that are fun to interact with. The plot includes several twists and turns and moves along at a good pace. Overall, the story is fun and engaging, making for a nice weekend read.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
Mari, a mermaid, loses her soul. She leaves the sea in a quest to regain that soul.
great new series
Wow, was this ever different. Loved the total opposite aspects to the story and the heroine. Mari is a common mermaid who loses her soul when she decides saving a human is more important than being seen. Many other mer folk have lost their souls and she decides to go onto land to find them. Shelbie, who is a dog on land and a seal in the water, sticks close by to help her. A human man also decides to assist her in her quest. The characters were wonderful and the changes to the story were well done and entertaining. Really enjoyed the story. Great ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Mari was a mermaid that lost her soul and then went to find it on land with her best friend Shelbie. Erickson was the reason she lost it and thought she could trust him. Aaron warned her not to trust Erickson. Then through an adventure filled with danger, discoveries, lies and revelations, Mari, Shelbie and an unquestionable friend made her future, along with other mer become soul filled. Fun read
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fairytale retelling. I enjoyed the characters and the romance, as well as the twists and uniqueness of the plot.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.